Just as Holden’s own performance arm, HSV, has turned out some pretty audacious cars, so too has FPV been guilty of going a bit too heavy on the wings and spoiler treatment.

Which is why the Force 6 is such a good thing; you got the high-performance FPV version of the turbocharged six-cylinder engine as well as a much more subtle presentation.

In some respects that made the Force 6 a bit of a sleeper, but it also meant you probably won’t tire of it too quickly either.

FPV started with what was essentially aFalcon XR6 Turbo (no bad car in itself) and tweaked it in a few areas.

The engine got a power upgrade to emerge with 270kW versus the XR6 Turbo’s 245kW and torque was significantly bumped from the Falcon’s 480Nm to a rippling 550Nm.

The end result was a car that could really shift when required, but one which also remained pretty refined and composed.

Not for nothing has the turbocharged Falcon inline six gone down as the best locally made engine this country has ever produced.

But because the Force 6 is Falcon-based, you still get a car that can seat five adults, tow a boat and carry a heap of gear in its boot.

As all-rounders go, the FPV really takes some beating.

The six-speed automatic transmission (the same one used in high-end cars like the BMW 7-Series) was standard fitment on the Force 6 and it does a great job with smooth shifts and plenty of ratios to make the most of that monster engine.

No manual-gearbox option was offered, but that’s no bad thing in this case.

The only catch with the six-speed auto is that there’s a weakness in the design that can see the transmission cooler fail once the car has covered 100,000km or so.

This wouldn’t be a tragedy in some cases, but in the Force 6, when the cooler fails it allows coolant to mix with the transmission fluid in the gearbox.

In an automatic gearbox, the fluid that provides the drive also lubricates the transmission and, when that fluid is mixed with coolant, it can’t lubricate things properly and sudden wear takes place.

A failed trans cooler in a Force 6 will also allow coolant to drown the electronic control unit for the six-speed and the combination of these problems will ultimately empty your wallet to the tune of several thousand dollars.

The solution is to replace the transmission cooler every 80,000km or so and while that seems extreme, it’s a much cheaper alternative.

But coolant changes are also critical to the life of the transmission cooler, and a car that has been neglected in this regard is likely to have its cooler fail much earlier.

Check the service record to make sure the coolant has been changed as per the manufacturer’s instructions.

With the engine running and the car at a standstill, select Reverse gear and listen carefully. Is there a clunk from underneath the car as the transmission selects reverse? If so, you could be looking at a worn differential bush.

It’s not a big deal and quite cheap to fix, but it does spoil the otherwise sophisticated feel of the vehicle.

The bigger brakes fitted as standard to the Force 6 meant that it wasn’t as prone to warped front brake rotors as lesser Falcon-based models.

Even so, it’s worth checking for a pulsing through the brake pedal during hard stops from highway speeds. And bear in mind that if the rotors are damaged, they’ll be a bit more expensive to replace than a standard Falcon rotor.

The other big thing to watch out for with any turbocharged Falcon is an example that has been fiddled with in the interests of more performance.

Really, you have to wonder about the person who doesn’t think the performance of the standard car is beyond adequate, and further, you also need to wonder about how such a driver treated their car.

For some reason, though, these cars are prime targets for the tuners out there and while some get it right, plenty of others don’t.

Be especially wary of cars with more than the standard amount of turbo boost as this is an easy – but potentially fraught – way of increasing engine output.

Watch out, too, for cars with oversized wheels and tyres and lowered suspension which probably won’t do the ride quality any favours and could easily make the car unroadworthy.

But an unmolested Force 6 remains a great car to drive and, in fact, we’d recommend it over any of the V8-powerred Fords and FPVs from the same point in time.

The other thing is that, partly because the Force 6 was over-priced when new, values have tumbled.

Against a brand-new price of almost $72,000, early examples are now around for mid-teens. Bargain.

6 comments so far

Lot of these got modified because they 'had to', there was some major problems getting rid of heat and often that called for an aftermarket turbo after oil coked them up, big, thick core radiator (OEM is leaky garbage) and heat-exchanger for the auto-trans. Course, that aftermarket, reliable gear 'voids the warranty' as far as Ford is concerned, but it probably didn't have any warranty left by now anyway.

The ECU was also quite poo and did all sorts of weird things like send the battery flat and set idle speeds out of whack. There is also a host of squealing and banging that goes on under the hood that can range from the water pump being on the way out, shields coming loose, turbo induction pipe floating around and hitting stuff, oh and the suspension ball joints or bushes on the way out. The brakes, mostly work pretty well, but the handbrake will cause squeaks from time to time as it has 'problems'

Fittings, from a couple I've known where assembled by the finest cretins money could buy, this may interest you if the doors stay locked when the actuators go to hell, the lights not working due to a design which allows them to sever themselves and door handles coming off because they're rubbish.

All a real shame to detract from a 'premium' vehicle that stops, goes and turns very well for a big lump of a car.

Commenter

GTO

Location

Sydney

Date and time

October 06, 2013, 9:02PM

I wouldn't call it a 'premium' vehicle, it's a Falcon; caught one to the airport just the other day.

Commenter

Jaques

Location

Melb

Date and time

October 08, 2013, 10:05AM

@Jaques - I caught a Benz a few months ago from Frankfurt airport. I've also caught a BMW and a VW taxi from different airports in Europe.

Commenter

Jman

Location

Melb

Date and time

October 10, 2013, 8:12AM

What Jaques is trying to say is when he catches a taxi, that brand suffers for it and is devalued by others.

Commenter

Daniel D

Location

Date and time

October 10, 2013, 5:35PM

@Jaques

You probably don't know the concept of trim levels. Falcons can be family cars , taxis, performance vehicles (xr8), premiums( Fairmont Ghia )or as commercial vehicles . The Falcon is a versatile car because its made by volume brand for a volume market, unlike a BMW or Benz which can only really be a premium car and nothing else but expensive.

Commenter

Cobrajet

Location

Date and time

October 10, 2013, 6:47PM

@ GTO cool story bro but I think you could have added more dragons and flying pigs.